


An Artist's Intuition

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Series: Mute Akira [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Mute Akira, Secret Crush, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 07:05:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11375082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: Again, Yusuke looked back at Akira, and this time, the full intensity of his gaze was on him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”Akira’s hands hovered for a long moment, like he could remember nothing and he really couldn’t, just then.[Alternate first meeting]





	An Artist's Intuition

**Author's Note:**

> A request from Masozii now, who asked for mute!Akira and meeting Yusuke for the first time. Because I'm inclined towards Akira, I strayed from canon and put in some... ahem _implication_.  >3
> 
> Thank you for the prompt!

He was tall and slender and had piercing gray eyes, and they lingered on Akira. They definitely lingered on Akira.

“Hey, uh... are you sure it's him? Or are you just that self-conscious?”

“Rgh, I'm not that-”

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed, hair in those eyes and, “Is there something you want?”

Akira, too, wondered why this guy had been following them, but mostly he wondered why his eyes kept coming back to _him_ when Ann had said it was _her_ he had been following.

“… your friend,” Yusuke– his name– was saying, when Akira had zoned back in to the conversation. Again, Yusuke looked back at Akira, and this time, the full intensity of his gaze was on him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

Akira’s hands hovered for a long moment, like he could remember nothing and he really _couldn’t_ , just then. But then he was finally able to sign out a greeting, hopefully recovering his momentary struck stupid behavior.

(Struck _speechless_ didn’t really apply with him, so.)

_I’m Akira._

“Oh right,” Ryuji said. “He said–”

“I know what he said,” Yusuke said coolly. He _knew_? Then he continued to surprise Akira even further by responding _in kind_. His hands were graceful and his motions flawless. _Akira. That means_ intelligence _, if I’m not mistaken. Utter clarity, even._

Again, struck stupid. This guy could _sign_ , and he could sign _well_. Watching his face had been nice enough, but watching his _hands_ was a different experience altogether. Akira chalked his heart beating a little faster up to the fact that he’d met someone who could communicate the way he did.

 _I’m not sure that describes me,_ he signed back. A small, wry smile.

Yusuke returned the smile with one of his own. It was completely genuine. _I think you’re selling yourself short._

 _I really don’t know about that,_ Akira insisted.

Yusuke only continued to look at him then, the little smile on his lips and a softness to his gaze that hadn’t been there only moments prior. And just _looked_ at him. Looked at him the same way that he had been looking at Ann a moment ago, when he had asked her to be a model. Why was he looking at _Akira_ that way?

Finally, Yusuke shifted out of that gaze, straightening up and hands flying effortlessly through words. _I have an eye for these things, Akira. Trust me when I say that I believe your name is fitting. I admit I’m not sure_ how _I know that, but I can feel it._

Akira swallowed. His mouth was dry. He didn’t have anything to blame that on except Yusuke looking at him, and being unable to look away from that.

“Uh.”

The moment, broken; Yusuke looked away to Ryuji, who was standing with his mouth slightly agape. “Please come to the exhibition,” Yusuke said out loud, looking beseechingly at Ann. “Bring your friends. I hope to see you.”

And then he was gone as quickly as they had met him; all three of them were left staring after him like they all were experiencing the same, confusing emotions. Maybe they were.

… probably not.

“Dude, what did he say to you?” Ryuji asked. “You guys were moving so fast, I couldn’t get any of it at all.”

Akira shook his head. _Nothing._

“You sure?”

He nodded. Maybe it wasn’t nothing, but it wasn’t anything worth sharing with them. Mostly it wasn’t the words so much as the… _atmosphere_. And that wasn’t something he could share, exactly. It wasn’t something that he could put into words _or_ gestures.

Ryuji huffed. “Man, what a weirdo, though. You aren’t actually thinking of going to that art thing, are you?”

Yes, Akira thought. Please, say yes.

“I think I might,” Ann said shortly, and Akira was so pleased that even Ryuji and Morgana’s twin litanies of disappointment couldn’t bother him.

Intelligence. Yeah right. Well, there was no harm in letting Yusuke think that, right?

Yusuke. He wondered what that name meant. He could think of a few words that might fit already, but… time to do some research.

He had to live up to his own name, after all, right?


End file.
